The model railroad industry, as is well recognized in the art, has always sought additional ways to make model trains and associated accessories operate as realistically as possible. Many improvements have been made making the model railroad more realistic, however all have been typically complex as well as difficult for users to understand and operate.
Many of the more modern control systems used in model railroad control functions are using digital technology. The use of digital technology has added a layer of complexity for the model railroad operator; however it has greatly enhanced the realism which can be attained with model railroad trains and accessories. The most common way this is done is by following a standard published by the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) commonly known as DCC (Digital Command Control). This standard is generally accepted by the model railroad industry and many vendors manufacture model railroad control devices that are compatible with the standard.
Prior to the present invention, these hand held devices all use cryptic throttles, button type keypads, text based displays, and user interfaces that are not user friendly and not very convenient to use. In most cases the hardware that is being controlled needs to be programmed by the end user before using it. With these types of controllers and accessories, a reasonably educated user with knowledge of electricity, some exposure to digital electronics as well as some knowledge and use of computers would still find these units difficult to initialize, configure and operate. The present invention serves to solve these problems.